A.J. Allmendinger, who has been driving for Kaulig Racing part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since losing his NASCAR Cup Series seat at JTG-Daugherty Racing at the end of 2018, will contest the Cup Series race on the Daytona International Speedway road course on Feb. 21. The race will be Allmendinger’s first at the Cup level since 2018.
“I am really looking forward to racing in the Cup Series once again, but more importantly, I am pumped to be racing in the Cup Series for Kaulig Racing,” Allmendinger said. “I keep wanting to help Kaulig Racing grow as much as possible, and the next step is racing in some Cup races with them. Daytona is a prestigious race track to compete at, whether you are on the oval or road course, so this is a great place for Kaulig Racing’s first non-superspeedway Cup race.”
Allmendinger also is slated to drive for Kaulig full-time in the Xfinity Series in 2021.
Allmendinger has six NASCAR national series wins across the Cup and Xfinity series, with five of those coming on road courses. His lone Cup Series win came on the road course of Watkins Glen International in 2014.
“Having AJ compete in our very first non-superspeedway Cup race was really a no-brainer for us,” Kaulig Racing President Chris Rice said. “Kaulig Racing is honored to be able to be get AJ back into the Cup Series for the first time since his retirement. I think he will pick right back up where he left off as a road course ace.”
Kaulig plans a partial Cup Series schedule this year, focusing primarily on road courses and superspeedways. The team also plans to contest the season-opening Daytona 500 with Kaz Grala as driver.
Kaulig Racing made its debut in the 2020 Daytona 500, the team’s only Cup Series race, to date. Justin Haley, who also drives a Kaulig Racing entry in the Xfinity Seriess, finished 13th in last year’s Daytona 500.
